


A Place for Us Ch 84

by DramaticPause



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-05
Updated: 2012-03-05
Packaged: 2017-11-01 04:11:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticPause/pseuds/DramaticPause
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chapter 84</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Place for Us Ch 84

Thanks for the reviews and okay, as regards the following... just remember you asked.

Kaname, Sara, Don and...

by lightpathetic

KANAME looked up from his grim perusal of a report by his Pharmaceutical Division on an anti-cancer drug they were fairly optimistic about despite the long list of side effects including liver damage if administered for longer periods than three weeks, and watched the doorway. He imagined that if they were going to die anyway they may want to risk killing their liver. Still, it seemed a little drastic and could be a hot-bed for lawsuits. He made a mental note to ask about further laboratory tweaking as his wife glided into his office. He noted her regal bearing, tousled blonde shoulder-length hair and her nudity under the feather trimmed, sheer aquamarine robe before going back to the paragraph on necrosis.

"Kaname. Come back to bed. It's two in the afternoon!"

Kaname simply swiveled his chair and held out his hand and he soon felt the comforting, warm weight of his queen's behind on his lap. He turned back a little to the epad he was reading all while rubbing her back soothingly.

"What's the matter, my dear?"

Sara sighed and tucked her head onto his shoulder and her right hand into the king's robe to rub his taut muscled flesh. She pouted as she began in irritation.

"You're always busy or with Zero. I thought with him away I would finally get some attention from you."

"You get lots of attention, Sara," Kaname replied, continuing to scroll the report to the projections. It would be lucrative, no surprise there...

"I mean... I want to try for another baby. I want a girl this time." It sounded like a demand, as if Kaname had deliberately thwarted this desire in the past.

Kaname, though, stopped reading and stroking her back indulgently.

"No. I'm not ready."

"But I am. You have Kane and I'm sure Kaori when he settles down..."

"That will be the day..."

"I want a little girl for me. None of my sons are interested in fashion or cosmetics or anything I like..."

"There's no guarantee she will be either if she's my daughter."

"Stop spouting nonsense, dear and listen to me."

"Yes, darling..." Kaname rubbed his eyes and waited. 

"I think it's been long enough. Kei doesn't want us and Kane and Kaori have left home..."

"We're are still trying to locate Kei, Sara. Don't give up yet. Consider who has been raising him..."

"I know but she's dead now..."

"Allegedly."

"And he's not even curious about us."

"Give him time. Give us time. I think it is too much on us now that this situation with Kei is still unsettled. There'll be another vulnerable infant to protect when we don't know what his intentions are and..."

"What?"

"You know... Zero... isn't ready yet..."

"Zero."

Sara pulled away and stood but Kaname could already feel the rage inside her. He braced himself for its release.

"When has Zero ever had a say in our reproduction? If he is to come into our bedroom as well I want all of the benefits!"

"You know what I mean as well as I do. He is tortured by this. He needs time to get past what he sees as a failure with Kei before he can handle becoming a parent again..."

"Maybe what he needs is just to be handed a small, crying, baby girl. Zero overthinks everything. A few diaper changes and he'll be fine...!"

"No. We'll wait. It's only been a few weeks since Kei surfaced. I want a resolution of this matter one way or the other before we think of trying again. To lose another child... He may never come back from that. Maybe neither will we."

"Who says it will even happen again, Kaname? What's the use of all this security if you can't guarantee the safety of our children? You're as paranoid as Zero is!"

"Still... we need to consider how he feels. We need to discuss these things with him, as you do with me. As a parent he deserves the same privileges. It's a little thing that would mean a lot to him. Make him happy..."

"I'm going to bed, Kaname."

"...Okay. I'll be in short..."

"Never mind. Do whatever you want. Unless Zero says otherwise..."

The door to the bedroom slammed and Kaname sighed. He "sent" her his love and regret for a few seconds before returning to his reports. It was exhausting juggling them both sometimes, care for the feelings of one invariably trampled on those of the other. But there was no other way, if he wanted to keep them both. He had resolved not to take Zero for granted as they used to do and to consider his feelings more, which Sara simply didn't understand at all. But he'd almost lost him once and Kaname was trying his darnedest not to let that happen again.

 

DON opened his eyes to see the figure of a man hunched over beside him on the bed. It seemed like a repeat of the ordeal of being chained to the bed... but his hands were free. He sat up and pulled himself further up the bed and away from the man he could tell wasn't Kaori and...

"You're Kei?"

Don stopped his furtive attempts at putting some distance between himself and the figure, but ignored the question. He tried to be brave but he couldn't get what had just happened out of his mind. Especially since he was still...

"You brought me back to the apartment?"

"Yes. As good a place as any to talk."

"Talk?"

The figure straightened and looked back at Don who trembled and shied away. The image of that ugly, angry thing swam into his mind, the feeling he'd had that he would die horribly just before it had happened. At least he thought it had happened...

"Kei..."

"Don't... call me that..."

"Then, do you prefer Peter...?"

"What are you going to do with me?"

Don injected some strength into his shaking voice but he still couldn't bring himself to look at him, to look into those eyes... 

The man stood and walked away from the bed but that did nothing for Don's comfort level. He thought the inevitable was simply being delayed. He eyed the door as the man stood in front of the window and looked out over the night and the street below.

"I am not going to hurt you, Peter. It's the last thing I want for... many reasons. I wouldn't have done what I did if I had known. At the time I'd only cared about killing you."

"And... now?"

The figure stayed where he was and fell silent. Don eyed the door again and slipped a little closer to it.

"Peter... I feel I should warn you... I am capable of many things... including stopping you before you take another step towards that door. You believe me, don't you?"

Don did seemed to consider testing his words but thought better of it. Instead he turned back to the man who hadn't moved in the last minute.

"Sit down."

Don came back to the bed and perched on the edge, still thinking he could run for it if this thing became ugly again. He really didn't want to be in this room with it even if the stultifying evil aura from before was gone now. He began to rue his having gotten into this mess. If he had only been more patient Zero would have left and he would have had Kaori to himself. He might have even been able to find her. Now he couldn't help but feel that he'd messed up irretrievably, that he'd let her down terribly. But... it wasn't too late, right? This "man" had wanted to talk?

"What... do you want to talk about?"

"You."

"What about me?"

The man sighed and turned around to face him but Don sat backing him, staring at the bedroom door.

"I scare you. As such I don't think this will be productive. You would prefer Zero, I'm sure, but he will only become emotional and probably ignore the fact that you are dangerous. Maybe not to him personally but still..."

"I don't have to be. I just wanted..."

"What?"

Don began to breath audibly. He was trying to keep his composure and was failing miserably. He leaned over and buried his face in his hands... but screamed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped to his feet and "pushed" automatically at the figure beside him but nothing happened. His hair blew a bit but that's it.

"I'm sorry. I was only trying to..."

"Keep away from me!" Don yelled hysterically, backing away to the wall. The man stayed where he was. He sighed again and lowered his creepy eyes. There was no way to make this easier. 

"Peter, believe this or not, I am trying to help. The easy thing to do would be to kill you but no-one wants that. So we have to find a solution and the only way is for you to level with me and tell me what is going on here. You seem desperate. Just tell me why."

"I can't..."

"You can't... tell me? Why?"

"I can't trust anything you say. I can't..." Don dissolved into tears again. The man watched him in silence for a long while until his sobs came under control. Don sniffed to an embarrassed silence while those disconcerting inky black eyes watched him.

"You're wrong. You can trust me. But what's more important is that you have no choice. My first priority is Zero. I will never let you go unless I am satisfied you are no longer a threat to Zero or his happiness. But fortunately for you my cares are also Zero's and he cares for you. So those, I think, are sufficient reasons to try to make me your ally and you've seen what happens when I consider you an enemy. Now," he said, as he turned back to sit on the bed and patted the area beside him, "are you ready to tell me why you tried to kill Kaori?"

Don hesitated for a moment as those eyes watched him expectantly but eventually came forward and sat but much farther away than the spot indicated beside him...

"What are you?"

"Are you stalling?"

"No! I... want to know what I'm talking to. You're not Zero..."

"No I'm not. Didn't Kaori call me a demon?"

"Yes. Are... you?"

"...No. I'm not sure what I am anymore. I guess you can call me... a spirit." 

"Like a ghost?"

"I suppose I haunt this body. But I am Zero's guardian. Let's leave it at that."

"Kaori said his brother died to make Zero immortal. Did he sacrifice himself to you?"

"...You could say that. Why all these questions?"

"I wanted to know... If you had my life, could you save someone?"

"Who?"

Don looked away. He still wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. It could be a trick...

"I wouldn't need you life to save someone, Kei. But to make them immortal they would need their own guardian. In that case, a sacrifice of another immortal must be made."

"For them to have their own... Does the immortal become the guardian then?"

"No..." The man turned away and stood, going to the pitcher of water on the table. "Would you like some water?"

"...Yes. Thank you."

The man poured two glasses and returned to the bed. He handed Don his glass and sat again taking a sip but he didn't miss how Don was looking at him. Something had connected in his brain, something he was too afraid to confirm.

"Are you finished grilling me, Peter?"

"Don. My name is Don."

"Is it short for Donald?"

"No."

"Just Don?"

"...It's short for my real name but mom never told me what it is. She would only say it was a poor joke from a dark period in her life and best forgotten."

"...I see."

"Do you?"

"Yes. Why did you try to kill Kaori, Don?"

Don closed his eyes and spoke before he lost his resolve.

"Because he is holding my mother hostage."

"Your... mother?"

Don began to tremble again but not out of fear. The man's surprise dissolved as he thought about it.

"You had lied to Elizabeth."

"I wanted... her protected. She's dying."

"So that's who you want to save."

Don began to cry again and as the man sipped his water in thought.

"He said she was receiving her treatment but she can't be! I checked!"

"How?"

"The trial drug isn't available anywhere else but ... Hospital!"

"And that was why you tried to kill him?"

"That and..."

"What?"

Don stopped. He couldn't say that to him. 

The man sighed and again sipped his water.

"I had hoped to do this with your cooperation but it can be just as easily done without it."

Don perked up at that and looked back toward...

"What do you mean?"

"I'm thinking about it. There are spells to make you speak the truth, to expose the past, to speculate on the future. Being what I am I could invade your body and see what you are thinking or I could just kill you and have done with it. I understand that you are afraid of me but patience has never been my strong suit..."

"No! Wait! Please," Don begged, tears streaming from his eyes as he met those of the creature beside him. "It's a terrible thing but... you would understand, right? Loving someone and wanting nothing more than... to make them happy. To finally see them happy?"

"Why do I have to understand that...?"

"You sacrificed yourself for Zero. You must know how I feel about my mother..."

"Stop it! You are wrong!"

"I am not! You're Kaname Kuran Jr. aren't you? Kaori called you 'Ken'...!"

The creature stormed to his feet and away from the boy, mostly before he did something he regretted. What did he do about this? But maybe it was a lucky guess...?

Don stood and walked after him, speaking quickly in case it stopped what he feared would happen.

"Ken. I know you're Ken. My... brother who died to save Zero, an ex-human vampire. Even your very similar accent to Kaori's confirms it. The same over-privileged school, no doubt, the same environment. I have an ear for these things. You didn't ask Kaori any of this because he would have spotted you immediately. But I've studied you and your family almost all my life. You can't deny it!"

"Then if you are right you must know that this changes everything. You can't survive this night."

"I know no such thing! As you say you won't hurt Zero. And... I am your brother!"

"Are you trying to blackmail me...?"

"No! I... You have to understand my position! My mother was hurt terribly by Kaname Kuran! She kidnapped me to punish him. I understand that! But I also understand her pain. He killed her entire family...!"

"Okay, so you've grown to empathize with your kidnapper. You aren't the first and won't be the last. Tell me what makes this story interesting?"

"Wha...? I... set out to kill Kaname Kuran and his family for what he did to my mother. I was using Kaori to gain access to them but he found out. He did try to talk me out of it but I am... was resolved to do it anyway. He said he would help me do it..."

"Help you?"

"Yes. Something about a good match."

"I see."

"He took my mother hostage but he said he was treating her for her cancer. But he's not! When I found out I..."

"Tried to kill him. It's not the first time he's provoked that reaction."

"Do you know where she is?"

"No. But that's easily found out." The creature closed his and frowned. It seemed it was concerned about something. "I should leave Zero to do that. I can't stay out too long. It makes him... despondent when he loses too much time."

"He doesn't know what you've done for him, does he?" 

"I have admitted nothing to you!" The creature shouted, rounding on the boy who backed away in fright. "Don't go filling Zero's head with nonsense or I will react very badly!"

"I won't say anything. I won't! All I care about is my mother! All of you can go to hell!"

"If only it were that simple." Those inky black eyes seemed to catch and hold Don's again as he uttered meaningfully. "But, unfortunately for you, it is not."

 

"KAORI. Kaori!"

Kaori Kuran groaned and pushed away the hand that shook him. Couldn't the bastard see he was trying to sleep? His throat gave out on this mild exertion and he coughed to a stop.

"Here. Drink some of this. You lost some blood and your body had to heal extensively. But you'll be okay."

Kaori recognised Zero's presence before he even ventured to open his eyes. He allowed himself to be lifted slightly and a cup placed to his lips. But he soon took it and sat up on his own, draining the vessel thoroughly before gesturing for another. He opened his eyes at that point, having decided he would stay awake now, the circumstances of his injuries coming back to him.

"Here. Just give yourself a few minutes, Kaori! You're always so impatient!"

"What's he doing here?" Kaori thundered, having clapped his eyes on his would be assassin.

"He came in with me. He explained what happened, Kaori. I have to say what you did was self serving and very irresponsible! You put yourself at serious risk but you've only yourself to blame! To think he was trying to reach out to you and you took advantage of him like that...!"

"What are you blathering on about, you senile old fart? He tried to kill me!"

"I would have killed you if I were him! You are hiding Julia. You are going to tell me where she is right now."

"The hell I am...!"

"Fine. I'm calling your father."

"Do that. Then Julia will really get what's coming to her."

"And so will you. Forcing your brother to stay in a sexual relationship with you just because of his background. And once you found out where Julia was being treated you upped the leverage...!"

"He said what...?"

"...I can't believe this is the boy I raised. Haven't you an ounce of decency in your body anywhere?"

"You believed him? How dare you believe him over me...?"

"Because it sounds like you! We're still trying to live down that whole incident with the Kenyan Head's wife. The way you blackmailed her to take advantage of her was simply...!"

"She deserved it! So did the others! But he's lying! He came after me! Seduced me! Only because he wanted to...!"

"What? Go on!"

Kaori faltered. What was he going to say? That he knew Kei was planning on killing his father, kept it a secret and was helping him do it? Zero would never forgive him. Even if he explained that he had been buying time, the damage would be done. He'll always think he couldn't be trusted to protect his family. And that was a sore point with the old man. He hadn't planned on Zero finding out about the deal. He'd figured Kei would eventually see that his plan was doomed to fail and would grow to... have some regard for him as he did. Was that so bad an ambition? Didn't it matter that he could make him happy? That they could belong to each other? At least Don had the decency to not tell Zero the truth. Or did he? He'd clearly used compromising information to get Zero completely in his corner, the bastard. If he thought he was going to get away with it he was mistaken. But how did Don even know to do this? That was information only a privileged few had at their disposal.

"I thought so," Zero whispered, as Kaori turned away from him, looking guilty. He got to his feet, his lips pursed in disgust but he swallowed it as best he could. He didn't think he would ever understand vampires - or Kaori - so he always tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. Kei did say that he'd used his... skills to get close to Kaori and their sexual relationship was well documented. He himself had even been privy to it yesterday morning. And given how Kaori seemed to feel about him, it would make sense that he'd try anything to keep it going after Kei tried to break it off and leave. But it was still... disturbing. However, what he couldn't take was that Kaori knew how hard they'd been searching, had known how this had been affecting them all and said nothing...

"Where is she, Kaori? I won't ask again."

"...Give me a minute, alright?" Kaori snapped, throwing off his bed-clothes to stand, carefully avoiding Don's eyes and the note of triumph he was certain he'd see there. "I'll take you."

 

"MOMMY!"

"Don...?" the woman asked weakly before being grabbed quite ungently by her enthusiastic "son". The two held each other tightly for a long while forgetting the others in the room completely. Just as well. Kaori wasn't staying. He stepped out of the room and removed a gold covered wrapper from his pocket but found that it was whipped away from him in the next second. 

"I want you sober for this, Kaori. You don't seem to know that your actions create consequences in people's lives."

"I am well aware of that already, Zero."

"I don't think you are. You're much like your father in that respect."

Zero was furious with him. But at least he was speaking. Still, he wasn't one to cower.

"Whatever, ojii-san. Forgive me if I don't see what further use you have for me here."

"As soon as we arrange transportation for Julia we're headed to the airport. All of us."

"What? I'm not going...!"

"Yes you are, Kaori. Your things are already on their way to the airport. You'll be there for your brother's homecoming..."

"Are you insane? You'll be giving him exactly what he wants! A chance to...!"

The men were cut off by a wail from inside the room. They were both too startled to react immediately but in the next moment Don had Zero by the lapels and pressed to the wall.

"You promised me! Do it now! Do what you promised me!"

"What...?"

Zero was clearly at a loss and Kaori noticed. He pulled Don away from Zero as a group of nurses and doctors in the ultra-exclusive private nursing home Kaori had wheedled his way, or rather Julia, into rushed past them pushing various resuscitative equipment- for instance one ousted Greek dictator was luxuriously wiling away his last few months on this earth across the hall and Julia was currently sharing with the mother of the current president of Pakistan who was too busy with a stalled government to check closely on his mother (Kaori had assured it was temporary stay along with tendering his generous donation) and she was in a coma so no complaints there. A Hilton or two was also on this floor... 

"What the hell are you on about?" Kaori demanded pulling Don to one side but he kept staring at Zero, his eyes pleading.

"Please. Don't let her die!"

"...Die?"

Zero turned to go back into the room. It can't be! 

"Sir, you can't be in here now!"

"What's happening?"

"Her heart is in arrest. Go back outside and someone will be with you shortly..."

"Prep the electrodes..."

"Careful. Her body's very weak..."

"Stand clear!"

Julia's body shuddered involuntarily before coming to rest again. The team moved in.

"Give her a five more cc's of..."

"All her organs are all but destroyed. I don't know how she..."

"Ready? Again!"

Julia's body trembled again but the noise of the monitor stayed constant. Zero only just grabbed Kei before he ran past him. He held onto the boy as he fought him, keeping him clear of the bustling but eventually defeated personnel.

"Mommy! No!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuran," one of the doctors addressed the tall blonde man standing just inside the doorway chewing thoughtfully. "The cancer had already weakened her organs to a precarious extent. I had hoped with the reduced growth from the treatment we would be able to see some improvement but..."

"Kaori, speak to the doctors outside. It's upsetting Don."

Kaori frowned and widened his eyes at the demand as if that was the last thing he wanted to do but nodded to the the doctor who could not help but overhear the request. Half the aforementioned busy healthcare personnel also disappeared leaving a couple nurses to remove the various pieces of equipment and position her after the fact in a dignified repose. Don was still sobbing but Zero was quite still, his eyes closed, apparently steeped in the sombre moment but no-one was able to notice the dark swirl that snaked along the floor from him and beneath the bed. Nor did they notice, as they had covered her body with a sheet, as it rose to slip beneath it. It was only after it had done its deed and retracted and the nurses were preparing to leave the greaving men in peace that one noticed that the sheet was moving around her face, concaving as if a breath was being taken. She shouted to get the attention of, well, everyone and soon the room was a hive of activity again. Don turned to watch, not daring to hope but still hoping anyway. 

It was a while before the stunned team again made their retreat to the unlikely hum of the various monitors that had again been attached to their patient, whose recovery had been nothing short of miraculous. But then, who knew with the human body? With all the progress that had been made in medicine sometimes it only served to point out how much they didn't know. Anyway, they were happy to leave their stable patient to her next of kin who had agreed to leave her for monitoring for the next twenty-four hours before she would be prepared for removal to "a nearby facility" - Kaori's words not theirs as they wouldn't have let her go without a fuss otherwise. Kaori walked out with them for "some air", leaving Zero and Don with Julia, who was still unconscious but whose vitals had shown a resurgence that encouraged everybody. Don walked over to the bed and sat on it, before leaning over lay his head on her chest, his hands burrowing beneath her frail body. He closed his eyes and listened to her familiar sounds as he always had. He resolved to never leave her again. Not for one moment.

"Her cancer is in remission as we speak. I will do something about the damage to her body gradually. But, barring incident, she should live on to a ripe old age."

Don sat up and looked toward Zero... and confirmed what he already knew.

"Thank you..."

"Don't thank me just yet. You have your end to live up to. And, if you remember, I did warn you about being careful what you say to and about me around Zero."

"I remember," Don snapped, looking back to his mother again. He lowered his head as if troubled. "Does she have to come with us?"

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I don't want her to see me like that. With... them."

The creature sighed at the hatred he detected in the boy's voice. He could tell Don was going to be a handful.

"She will in any case. Kaname Kuran is not a low profile vampire and you are his son."

"Yes..."

Don looked at the monitors surrounding his mother. He surprised himself by actually thinking about them stopping rather than let her see that he'd gone back to being Kaname Kuran's son. Even if he had no choice. Despite what she'd always said he knew it would hurt her. The thought of her being with him, in His home, living among the vampires, the ones that had annihilated all her comrades and friends, always fearful of her safety. He knew she would never stay. She would decide he was with his kind and leave to be with her own. Leave him alone...

"There's no harm to her if she doesn't wake up, Don. The last thing she saw was her son with his family. She knows you are not alone. She is happy."

"No! You said... you said she would be fine!"

"I did. But I haven't finished curing her body. Her organs are still ravished. She could die here and now in your arms without any more pain or suffering. You know what I am talking about, Don. The sadness and fatigue that was always there no matter how much you loved and cared for her. You weren't enough and you will never be enough. Consider what she'd always told you, what she has been saying to you. You were the one that took her to a doctor long after she first felt ill. You were the one that fought to make her keep up her treatments and to give her something to live for. If you think about it you'll know within yourself that this is what she wants..."

"No! No! It's not...!"

"It gives her peace, Don. To think of it. To think of her natural family somewhere waiting for her to join them. I know it is hard to see it, I know that... we aren't built to understand things like this but... if you try not to make the mistake I made and actually listen to what she really wants you won't have to live with someone you love cursing you every day of their extended existence..."

"Go away, you bastard! Just leave us alone! Kaori was right! You are a fucking demon! You're just like Him! You'll do anything to get what you want!"

Don saw as those creepy black eyes registered the creature's disappointment in him then harden with a different resolve.

"You know what I want, Don. You have fifteen more minutes with her and then you have to leave. Zero will be waiting for you in the car. Do not keep him waiting too long."

The creature turned to go, wanting to get away but...

"Wait! Ke...!"

"What?!" The creature's patience with this stupid kid was at an end and it showed.

"Could you... could you please... help me wake her so I can... say... So I can ..." The tears began to flow down Don's face again and the creature hesitated for only a moment before it came over to the bed and touched Julia's tranquil face. Don swallowed audibly and scrubbed his face of tears as she frowned and stirred.

"Take... all the time you need. I'll... be outside if you need me."

to be continued

lightpathetic wrote this but Kaname, Sara and Zero are not my characters. They belong to VK.


End file.
